“I’m a Motivator”: Serena Williams Has Funny Banter With Coach Patrick Mouratoglou During Practice Drills

Serena Williams has been vigorously practicing on the clay courts. Her main goal is the French Open 2021; however, injury troubles have hampered her journey. She has her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, with her and he has shared some training clips with Serena.

In a recent video shared by Mouratoglou, he was seen helping Serena with a forehand drill. They were both having a conversation about the stroke, and Serena was giving her input on the forehand. She later specified that she was not a coach, but instead, she was a motivator.

Serena said, “I wasn’t saying different I was just saying that, not to hit the ball here, that will make it go on the net, but still hit it with spin. I’m not a coach, I’m a motivator.”

Using her expertise, Serena impressed Mouratoglou with her forehand drive. “That’s amazing what you’re doing. Continue like that. So good,” Mouratoglou said to Serena.

Serena Williams gets ready for French Open 2021

Serena’s return from injury wasn’t as she had hoped for it to be. Playing her first match since the Australian Open 2021, Serena was stunned in straight sets by Nadia Podoroska in the second round of Italian Open 2021.

“It’s tough to have a first match on clay. So it was definitely kind of good to go the distance and to try to be out there. But clearly, I can do legions better,” Serena said on her loss in Rome.

As there are only two weeks for the French Open, Serena is in dire need of match practice. Hence, she is playing this week at the WTA 250 event in Parma. She is the top seed in the tournament and finds herself in the healthy company of Americans such as Amanda Anisimova, Coco Gauff, Sloane Stephens, and her sister Venus Williams.

It will be interesting to see to what extent Serena can get used to the clay court in just a few matches. It looks like she will be a little under-prepared for French Open and will have to use every ounce of her experience and instinct to go deep in the Grand Slam.

Read More: “She’s Just Not Played Enough”: Legend Plays Down Serena Williams’ French Open Chances, Raises Wimbledon Hopes